Blocked sewage line floods hundreds of Queens homes with waste-tinged water
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Sewage water flooded the basement of Cynthia McKenzie in South Ozone Park, causing significant damage. Photo by Cynthia McKenzie via AP.
By David Brand
A blocked sewer line flooded hundreds of South Ozone Park homes with human waste-contaminated water Saturday night, causing significant property damage and leaving a lasting stench in basements.
The city’s Emergency Management office told the Eagle that the back-up did not affect drinking water, and that the Department of Environmental Protection was working through the weekend to remove the blockage. Emergency Management will hire contractors to clean homes affected by the sewer main blockage, said Mayor Bill de Blasio. Cleaning was scheduled to begin Monday.
The Red Cross pitched in to help residents relocate to hotels if their homes were unsafe or they could not stand the fetid conditions. The city also established a service center for affected residents at PS 223 Lyndon B. Johnson.
An FDNY spokesperson called the sewer backup a “one-in-a-million” situation and city officials have blamed the issue, first reported at a home on Inwood Street, on cooking grease. The city has launched a public service campaign to prevent residents from pouring oil down drains and causing so-called “fatbergs” — giant wads of grease that trap other items, like hair and wet wipes.
DEP Commissioner Vincent Sapienza said the blockage originated at a sewer at 150th Street near Kennedy Airport.
Sapienza said the city had confirmed 74 homes that were affected and that he had visited several of the properties.
“The sewage in their basements range from a few inches to several feet, and we helped with the pump out,” he said Monday. The DEP has created a system for bypassing the blocked sewer, which is 40 feet deep, he said.
Resident Cynthia McKenzie said she woke up at about 3 a.m. to the smell of sewage water. She thought it was leaking gas until she realized that the sludge was rushing into her basement. She told the Associated Press that she tried to move furniture and other belongings but could not salvage some electronics.
“It's messy,” McKenzie told the AP. She posted photos of the murky water coating the floor of a basement bedroom and the bottom of a staircase. “When you open it, it just smells,” she added. “It makes you want to vomit. We have to pack up all the clothes.”
Water levels rose to knee-level in some homes and the houses will have to be professionally cleaned.
“It’s horrible, horrible,” de Blasio said Monday. “My heart goes out to them as a homeowner myself and for their families.”
“We’re going to work with each and every one of those homeowners to make sure they get back on their feet,” he continued. “But my heart goes out to them. What a horrible end to what is usually a joyous weekend.”
Additional reporting by the Associated Press.
